AJR64,,112023 ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION 64 July 27, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives Snodgrass, Considine, C. Anderson, J. Anderson, Andraca, Baldeh, Behnke, Cabrera, Conley, Emerson, Haywood, Hong, Jacobson, Joers, Moore Omokunde, Ohnstad, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri, Ratcliff, Schutt, Shankland, Shelton, Sinicki, Stubbs, Subeck and Vining, cosponsored by Senators Pfaff, Agard, Ballweg, Carpenter, Hesselbein, Larson, Roys and Spreitzer. Referred to Committee on Rules.
AJR64,,22Relating to: designating June 2023 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin. AJR64,,33Whereas, bees, butterflies, and other pollinator species have a critically important role in agriculture in the United States and help to produce a healthy and affordable food supply and sustain ecosystem health; and AJR64,,44Whereas, pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the world’s wild plant species by providing them with a healthy habitat rich in a variety of native plants that are free or nearly free of pesticides; and AJR64,,55Whereas, thanks to the more than 400 species of native pollinators in Wisconsin, along with honeybees, we have very diverse dietary choices rich in fruits, nuts, and vegetables; and AJR64,,66Whereas, pollinators help to produce an estimated one out of every three bites of food consumed in the United States and help reproduce at least 80 percent of flowering plants; and AJR64,,77Whereas, commodities produced in partnership with animal pollinators generate $6.5 million in annual production, with domestic honeybees alone pollinating an estimated $14.6 billion worth of crops in the United States each year produced on more than two million acres; and AJR64,,88Whereas, there are approximately 20,000 bee species in the world, 3,600 in the United States, and 400 in Wisconsin; and AJR64,,99Whereas, in Wisconsin, pollinator-dependent crops are harvested on over 100,800 acres, with apple, cranberry, cherry, green bean, and pickling cucumber crops accounting for over $230 million in annual production; and AJR64,,1010Whereas, bees and other pollinators have experienced population declines due to a combination of habitat loss, use of pesticides, and the spread of pests and diseases; and AJR64,,1111Whereas, residents of Wisconsin have the opportunity to support bees and other pollinators on both public and private land; and AJR64,,1212Whereas, the State of Wisconsin seeks to ensure a healthy environment and create policies that sustain our environment; and AJR64,,1313Whereas, supporting native honeybees and other pollinators promotes environmental awareness, sustainability, and increases interactions among community stewards such as commercial and backyard beekeepers, farmers, children, educators, Master Gardeners, plant nurseries, municipalities, neighborhoods, and garden clubs and suppliers; and AJR64,,1414Whereas, the ideal pollinator-friendly habitat provides diverse and abundant nectar and pollen from plants blooming in succession throughout the growing season; provides undisturbed spaces such as leaf and brush piles, un-mowed fields or field margins, and fallen trees and other dead wood for nesting and overwintering for wild pollinators; provides water for drinking, nest-building, cooling, diluting stored honey, and butterfly puddling; is pesticide-free or has pesticide use carried out with the least ill effects possible on pollinators; is comprised of mostly, if not all, native species of annual and perennial flowering plants, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees in landscapes because many wild pollinators prefer or depend on the native plants with which they coadapted; includes, where possible, designated pollinator zones in public spaces with signage to educate the public and build awareness; and provides for safe and humane removal of honeybees when required; and AJR64,,1515Whereas, No Mow May, a municipal effort encouraging homeowners to reduce their mowing intensity to provide forage for native pollinators, began in Appleton in 2020 and has expanded throughout Fox Cities municipalities to include the communities of Appleton, Fox Crossing, Oshkosh, De Pere, Fort Atkinson, and Hortonville; and AJR64,,1616Whereas, a peer-reviewed scientific study of the effects of No Mow May and the community-wide delay in early May lawn care, specifically mowing early growth flowering plants, revealed that these efforts precipitated a five-fold increase in bee species prevalence and a three-fold increase in bee species diversity; and AJR64,,1717Whereas, possible declines in the health and population of pollinators pose what could be a significant threat to global food webs, the integrity of biodiversity, and human health; and AJR64,,1818Whereas, it is in the strong economic interest of agricultural producers and consumers in Wisconsin to help ensure a healthy and sustainable pollinator population; now, therefore, be it AJR64,,1919Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin Legislature designates June 2023 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin.
